I was reading through some older threads from 2016-2018 and was pondering how different hosting amenities are now. Many of the hosts provided fruit, fresh baked goods, left over food items to guests coming in, and I suspect many have stopped because of COVID. I removed my area rug and some dishes to better comply with the cleaning protocol. I used to provide good coffee in cans and switched to individually wrapped coffee bags. Not as good quality but reassuring to the guests. I alternate my bath rugs with bath mats. . The bath mats are white , less expensive, and can be cleaned in hotter water and won’t fall apart with frequent washings. The bath rugs are softer and prettier. I alternate my original queen comforter with cotton coverlets for the same reason. I leave alcohol disinfectant under the sink and hand sanitizer on the counter. Baked goods seem infinitely better, no? Wondering what if anything others have changed?
I’ve always had bath mats or rugs that can be washed in hot water. I’m looking into purchasing a wood headboard/footboard to replace the upholstered one I have now. It’s not an issue due to no reservations at this time, but I will be spraying it down with alcohol sanitizer between any guests.
I’ve raised my prices and deleted the cleaning fee mentioning Covid cleaning protocols. I’ve said masks in shared spaces at all times, even if getting coffee in the kitchen. Only outdoor dining, wipes provided.
Frankly, with my new rates, I doubt I’ll get a booking, but you never know.
Also, 3 days between guests.
I haven’t changed anything, except I no longer provide a pile of magazines. (It was a good excuse to get rid of the cost).
But I’ve always had tiled floors (no carpet or rugs), wooden blinds (no curtains) and I’ve always washed every item in the whole flippin place after every guest.
Yeah got rid of the local guide book for the same reason, and never completed my guest book for the rental. Send them emails and messages instead
How come? Do you think the guests like one flat fee better? Just curious.
Oh yeah I also replaced the fabric pillow covers and now have faux leather pillows on the couch that can be wiped down. Sounds tacky but I really like them better!
Just in passing … we have metal-framed beds in both our apartments. They are virtually impossible to damage but also I once heard or read somewhere that bedbugs are unlikely to take up residence in metal because they like the warmth and cosiness of wood. For the same reason, we have metal luggage racks.
Metal is also more slippery so the bedbugs are less likely to climb about on it. It won’t eradicate the little buggers if they are determined but it gives them second thoughts. Any host buying a new bed or luggage rack might want to take that into account.
Yes, it’s the feedback I’ve been given over the last 3 years.
Smart move!
I’ve heard this as well. Luggage rack is wood, not replacing it. Will get disinfected every time. Will look into buying metal frames. Maybe distress paint it so it looks beachy…
Another thing you can do with iron is to rust it. By that I mean give it that rusted look and color without it actually being rusty. All my doors and windows and curtain rods are like that. You have to start with unpainted metal. What you do is to paint it with muriatic acid, which will make it start to rust quite quickly. Might take a week or two. Then you sand it so it feels really smooth, clean it with paint thinner, then give it a couple coats of clear varnish.
Wouldn’t go well with all decors, but can look really cool in casual ones.
We removed guides, magazines and brochures. I got some new ones for local places but they are set up now so they can be wiped down. I also got rid of our guidebook and consolidated to one laminated page, hanging on the refrigerator and easy to clean.
Not what you are looking for but we just felt we had to close down. We are hoping for the vaccine in Jan/Feb and will open after that. At that time we’ll be doing all the cleaning things Airbnb wants and more, to keep non vaccinated people feeling secure.
Back to the original question—what we changed/removed from our rental because of COVID, that would be guests.
We have a FROG. Before Covid we had guests enter through the front door of our home, then walk through the living room and kitchen to get to that side of the house which the stairs are located leading up to the room. I enjoyed the interaction it caused ; short and sweet connections as they come and go. After COVID-19 we put up a door closing off our side of the house from the garage side of the house and had the guests start using the garage as their private entrance. They no longer come through our side of the house…like a duplex. It’s SO much better for them! (Plus I don’t always have to be ready to chat, or keep my house spotless.)
I have always loved to clean (my profession: I am a house cleaner) so the cleaning standards haven’t changed. I do air out the room using a high powered fan between guests and have allowed 6 hours between guests for the change of air to complete. The room is about 450 sq feet so it actually only takes two hours. I use bleach now on the high touch surfaces like doors, doorknobs, light switches, Etc.
I put pillows in quarantine between guests.
The places were clean before why would I change that?
We now have one day between bookings and flood the places with O2 - works brilliantly as it kills everything guests might have brought in including any lingering smells/odors.
O2 - Ventilate - Clean - Prep - Done
We did similar. Basic house guide on one A4 sheet, laminated therefore easy to wipe between guests. QR code for WiFi, which works surprisingly well and instead of our fairly extensive guide book there is also a QR code to download a PDF version.
Almost all bars and restaurants in our area now have a QR code to download a copy of their menu, and despite it being new technology to many I suspect, it seems to have worked well.
I’m sure it was, however there is an element of guest perception with some measures.
When we reopened each apartment got a supply of hand sanitiser and we added a fixed dispenser, mounted next to the street door. We also let it be known that complimentary masks were available, if required.
The direct feedback we got from guests was all positive.
All little things that didn’t really cost much to do, but it reinforced the fact that we were doing what we could to protect both ourselves, and our guests.
Incidentally, the provision of sanitiser and masks for guests is also a “health and safety” recommendation on BDC, with check boxes to confirm they are available.
JF
I haven’t really changed my cleaning practice as it was already detailed, but I did add a trio of Clorox wipes, lysol spray, and hand sanitizer at each sink next to the antibacterial hand soap. I charge a cleaning fee but it is only part of what my cleaning person charges me (at $30 per hour, ugh) and I then go in and clean after… lol I might be a little OCD. 
We upgraded to elec soap / antibacterial dispensers when they became available via china long time ago also have electric water dispensers for bottled water. Forgot about that.
What about using QR Codes for guidebook info?
Oh look, a spammer that doesn’t read the topic they’re spamming…
JF